Located in the beautiful village of Pinnawala the elephant orphanage is a most sought after tourist destination close to the city of Kandy. First established in 1975 the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage has the largest captive elephant population in the world. When travelling to Kandy you could consider a stay at a well renowned Kandy hotel such as Thilanka Hotels Kandy that offers their guests the facility to go on excursions to the orphanage.
A great initiative taken by the department of wildlife and later on taken over by the Department of National Zoological Gardens Sri Lanka, few disabled elephants and a large number of elephants who were orphaned because of the human-elephant conflicts, mothers abandoning or dying are sheltered and looked after in the orphanage. Over 100 elephants are provided shelter currently. Those who visit the orphanage can observe and interact with the magnificent creatures in a semi- natural environment. The adult elephants are fed coconut leaves, jackfruit and many other types of leaves. You can bottle feed the adorable baby elephants or go on an elephant ride while visiting there. Visitors are also given a chance to watch elephants splashing and playing in the Maha Oya River for full two hours.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.
